An Easter Countdown is the PERFECT way to celebrate this spring!
Do you ever feel like Easter is the holiday that somehow just gets left in the pollen dust? (Ha Ha)
Somewhere between New Year’s Resolutions, Valentines dates, and summer break lands what should be the MOST important holiday of the year. And yet, Easter usually comes and goes with little more than a few last minute baskets of candy and a ham dinner.
For years I felt a little guilty about this. Of course, we spend Easter Sunday at church and we certainly make the day about Jesus, but this day is a celebration of the most significant thing in our lives. Surely it deserves at least a tiny bit of the pomp and circumstance we give other holidays (especially Christmas!).
Motivation for a Countdown
A few years ago I found myself standing in the Valentine’s Day candy aisle at my favorite store when I overheard a little boy question, “Mommy, how many days until Christmas?” His mother laughed and said, “Oh, I guess about 300 or so.” His little face just melted at her answer.
And my heart felt the same way.
I’m not going to assume that this little boy was looking forward to a mountain of presents (although I imagine it wouldn’t be too far off from reality). But regardless, my heart wondered if Easter was really important enough. I wondered if somewhere in those aisles of candy, trinkets, and treats we lost the true meaning of everything valuable.
And I wondered if my kids were longing for Easter in their own hearts. I wondered if I had really taught what Easter was about. I wondered if they were like much of the world and saw it as just another chance to get candy and play some fun games.
I took the chance that day in the Target candy aisle to re-evaluate what we had been doing to celebrate. Like all holidays in our home, I’ve always been careful not to throw out everything in the name of “Christ-centeredness.” I don’t believe it really has to be that way. But I do believe that if we are going to make it all about Christ (and we absolutely are) then we need to be more intentional about making sure that our focus is in the right place.
I couldn’t think of a better way to do that than create an Easter countdown.
An Easter countdown is such a wonderful way to build anticipation, teach God’s truth, and bring the focus of the holiday to the right place every single day as we await that celebration. If done right, it also helps children to fully understand the meaning behind it all.
So I took a somewhat popular Christmas idea and made it into an Easter Countdown. (We have enough Christmas ideas anyway, right?) As we journey to the cross with Christ, I thought it would be rather appropriate to study the names of Jesus. This kind of study leads us straight to the heart of who He is and is simply a beautiful way to celebrate His sacrifice for us on the cross.
Creating your Names of Jesus Easter Countdown
The materials are simple. You need the free printable file (linked below), two different colors of cardstock paper, and tape.
I used an old Creative Memories frame to display our countdown, but the display options are limitless. You could display each name on a cork board. You could have your kids decorate a poster board. You could tape them to the fridge. You could make the chain and run it up the staircase railing or on a door frame. You could even put the strips of paper in a basket and pull one out when you want to spend some time focusing on it with your family.
Each morning, we pull off a new link and then read the verse that goes along with it. But there isn’t a right or wrong time of day to do it. You could read the verse with your family over dinner or have each child read the verse on their own throughout the day. I have my children journal about the name and verse in their journal so they spend a couple of minutes really processing that particular name of Christ.
The countdown lasts 30 days. But don’t worry about getting all 30 in before Easter! If you are getting a late start, you can finish after the official holiday. There is nothing that says you must stop! The point isn’t when you start and stop; the point is to focus on the various names and characteristics of our Lord.
Oh, and you can combine this with our Cross Easter Activities for even more Easter family fun.
An Easter countdown doesn’t mean we won’t still enjoy chocolate eggs or marshmallow chicks, but it does mean that I’m going to be purposeful in making sure that we as a family remember the true meaning of Easter. I’m going to do my part in leading my kids to turn their eyes onto Jesus, celebrating the greatest gift of all time!
GET YOUR FREE EASTER COUNTDOWN:
You can download your own copy of the Names of Jesus Easter Countdown by clicking the image below. I pray your Easter is even more meaningful than ever!
Dee says
What an awesome idea, I just love it. Thanks for sharing.
Jennifer Ott says
Thank you! We think of you often…every breakfast and lunch, in fact
Kim Sorgius says
Hehe. I love that! So glad you are enjoying the breakfast and lunch stations!
Missy says
Silly question, but you start with day 30 and work backwards to day 1 correct? I love this idea and want to use it in our home. I’ve downloaded it – just waiting to get some colorful card stock to print on! Thanks so much for sharing this with us. 🙂
Kim Sorgius says
I start with day 30 and work backward, yes. No question is a silly question. 🙂 Enjoy the countdown!!
Analee says
Thank you! I love this idea. I have been trying to think of ways get the kids excited about Easter without all the secular traditions. I will definitely do this one. One other thing I came up last year with is my husband and I read the kids the gospel story…we have three eggs (3 representing three days Jesus was in the grave) hidden for each of them. Two have a few pieces of candy then one is empty…the empty one they give to us and they get their Easter basket. Then we go over with them how the grave was empty and what that means for us! The greatest gift comes to us because the grave was empty! Jesus Lives! And so in simple way their bigger gift came to them from an empty egg! We decided to do an Egg hunt with other neighborhood kids in a similar way…sharing first part of gospel, then kids searched for eggs…three eggs were empty…then we read of Jesus ressurection and the kids who had the empty eggs got a prize. We found it to be a good way to share the Gospel with kids and adults!
Thank you for your wonderful idea! I look forward to starting it!
Kim Sorgius says
What a great idea! I love it!
Faye Neufeld says
Hi,
I’m having trouble getting the link for downloading this wonderful freebie! I clicked the link in my subscriber email, plugged in my email on the page but it keeps telling me “invalid email”. Any suggestions? I did check you FAQ but there was not anything on this problem. Thank you.
Blessings,
Faye
Kim Sorgius says
Please email me with more information about the error. kim@notconsumed.com
Katy says
I, too, am having difficulties. I followed all directions and triple-checked everything, but still no e-mail with the link. Thank you again for all of the wonderful freebies and posts!
Kim Sorgius says
I’m so sorry that you are having trouble. Please see our FAQ about freebies and downloads page. I have made a video and detailed help for other issues. If this doesn’t solve your problem, please email me (kim@notconsumed.com) with specific information as to what seems to be the issue. I’ll be happy to try and help you resolve it. Thanks! https://www.notconsumed.com/faq-for-freebies-and-downloads/
sonja says
is Yeshua included? It is His actual name…just wondering.
Kim Sorgius says
No. I’m sorry but that is not included.
H says
Thank you for the awesome idea! I’m printing these out and we’re going to make them with our Kindergarteners this week so they can take them home and do the countdown with their families! What a great way to continue the conversation about Jesus in their homes. (Blessed to work in a Christian school and be able to share about Jesus everyday!)
Jess says
I love this idea and we’ll be implementing it… I would love to see you expand it tho… to help those of us who aren’t sure how to put big Christian topics in easy kids language. Maybe a paragraph to read to them and a few questions to go along with each day… I hope you will be posting about how you’re doing through this journey this Easter. I love to see how different families teach littles about Christ!
Beth says
Hi Kim,
I appreciate your generous freebies. Thank you for being a blessing. I have a quick question. Am I supposed to have to re-subscribe every time you post a new freebie offer? So far that has been the case. If that is the way it is supposed to work I understand, I just presumed a ‘subscription’ meant that I would not have to do so. Thank you in advance for the clarification.
Beth
Kim Sorgius says
You aren’t really resubscribing each time. You just need to enter your email so that the system can check and make sure you are in there. It’s sort of like a password of sorts!
Cindy says
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for this freebie! What an awesome idea. I can’t wait to use it. On a side note, may I ask, what is the name of the font you used for printable names? I really like it as well and hope to add it to my computer. Again, thank you.
Kim Sorgius says
It’s called FoglihtenNo07.
Starla J says
This is awesome! Thank you!
Naomi Fata says
Great idea! I am alway looking for new ideas to make the holiday more Christ centered
gretchen says
Great idea! Thank you! I’d love it even more if you made it into a 40 day countdown to include all of lent.